


Avatar Adora

by youngwitchin



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Established Catradora, F/F, hordak is the fire lord, scorpia is babey as always, shadow weaver is morally conflicting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25594783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngwitchin/pseuds/youngwitchin
Summary: Adora snapped back into her body, not quite having realized she’d been outside of it in the first place. She sunk to the ground with a groan, grinding her palms into her eyes as if that would make sense of what had just happened. Her blue eyes eventually reopened, landing on Catra, who stood only a few feet to her right, but looked so, so far away. She locked eyes with the girl. Catra had always had such gorgeous, confusing eyes. One was blue, the other was green, and neither were the right color for a fire bender. It was easy to get lost in them. Adora thought that she might just stare at those eyes all day, willfully ignoring the conundrum they were now caught in.“Adora,” Catra breathed, “You’re the Avatar.”Catradora ATLA AU - yay!
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 75





	Avatar Adora

**Author's Note:**

> hey folks! this is a lil something i wrote about adora as the avatar, inspired by the avatar: the last airbender series. content warning for a fight scene with minor depiction of violence, but i don't think there's anything extreme in there. unedited, apologies for any mistakes. have fun, and thanks for reading!

The Fire Nation was not known to leave room for error.   
Any misplaced step, any word spoken out of turn, any mistaken actions were punishable to the utmost extent of the law. Shadow Weaver knew this, had known it since she rose through the ranks of the nation in her early twenties. She knew the risk she was taking when she deserted the Northern air temple. She knew the risk when she arrived at the Fire Palace’s doorsteps, pledging herself to the Fire Nation’s army. In fact, she had become the risk, leading forces in the persecution of the air bending monks. Shadow Weaver had looked her mentors in the eyes as she pulled the oxygen from their bodies. She had seen and enacted first hand the wrath of the Fire Lord time and time again.   
So why was she willing to step her toes out of line now?   
It was supposed to be a simple mission. The identification and extermination of the last water benders of the Southern water tribe. She’d eliminated plenty of benders by now, so the capture of these remaining few should have been routine.  
She hoisted a frail young girl in the air, slowly encroaching on her ability to breathe. “Where can I find the water bender?”   
The girl, who must’ve been around eighteen, judging by the betrothal necklace around her throat, pointed weakly at a home on the furthest reach of the dwindling village. Shadow Weaver pulled a gust of air downwards, slamming the girl to the snow, gliding silently to the igloo. She flung the door open with a sharp wind, quickly occupying the space with her menacing energy.   
Inside was a water tribe mother, crouched on the floor with a shawl draped over her front. She was cradling something to her chest and singing quietly as she did so. It took Shadow Weaver a few moments to realize that the thing the water bender held close to her was a child, and that she was in the midst of nursing.   
She knew the risks of war. Children would get hurt, die, lose loved ones, become traumatized. It was all a worthy sacrifice for the glory of the Fire Nation. This is what the Fire Lord had taught her, this was the understanding she was to follow through with. Yet as she raised her hand to suffocate the lonely pair of water tribe members, Shadow Weaver found herself hesitating.   
“Hand over the child,” she demanded.  
The woman in front of her laughed darkly, “Never. You’ll have to kill me before you hurt her.” She pulled the child out from under her shawl to cradle it to her left side, shifting so that Shadow Weaver could barely see the blond tufts of hair coming from the baby’s bundle.   
“I will see to it that she is not harmed.”   
At this, the Water Tribe woman paused. Her blue eyes locked on Shadow Weaver’s grey ones, and Shadow Weaver knew she had won. She had seen this look before. The look of the desperate mother, who would do anything to save her child. It was harrowingly familiar. In most cases, it was a pleading gaze she easily ignored. Now, however, it would play greatly to her favor. The woman nodded, tears beginning to prick in her eyes.   
She held her baby close and whispered solemnly, “Remember, Adora, above all, that you are loved. You are capable of such good, my child, and of such kindness. I will be with you, even if you cannot see me. Our souls were entwined from the start of time, although our journeys separate here. I love you, my Adora.”   
As Shadow Weaver took hold of the baby, she felt a jolt of energy race through her body. It was evident that whatever the destiny of this child was to become, she was going to grow into a very powerful being. Perhaps the Fire Lord wouldn’t kill her for her disobedience, if she could prove that the child was a military asset.  
The child wailed in her arms, reeling at the loss of her mother’s warmth. As Shadow Weaver drained the life from the Water Tribe woman, all she could do was stare into the baby’s remorseful blue eyes.   
The Fire Nation did not accept error.  
She would make sure Adora was a success.  
****  
“Catra, stop throwing so hard! You’re gonna catch a tree on fire,” Adora giggled as she dodged Catra’s fireballs, extinguishing them with water from the pond.   
“That’s why I have you around,” Catra scoffed as she attempted to swipe her blonde friend’s legs from under her, “to put out any unnecessary fires I start.”  
They continued sparring until Adora had Catra pinned underneath her, ice dagger pointed to her slim throat. Rolling her eyes, Catra put her hands up in the universal symbol of surrender, twisting her hips in a signal for Adora to roll off. Adora didn’t budge, however. She turned the ice back into water, dragging it teasingly near Catra’s face, threatening to soak her.   
“Cut it out, Adora!”  
Adora guwaffed heartily and flopped down next to Catra in the grass. “Wonder when Shadow Weaver’s gonna enlist us in the military. I’m ready to go see some action, y’know?”  
“You have fun with that,” Catra snorted, “I’d be just fine if she wanted the squad to stay here for the rest of our lives. Free food, free reign of the training grounds, and it doesn’t exactly hurt to have your pretty face around,” she smirked. “We can be her personal guard or something.”   
They’d grown up on the Fire Nation base Shadow Weaver operated just outside the Fire Nation capital. All the children of the parents who worked at the base received their schooling here, as well as some combat training in the case that they joined the military. Then there was the small group of refugee children, whom the Fire Nation had rescued after their parents carelessly abandoned them, like Adora and Catra. Shadow Weaver had given them extensive education and training with the intention of them becoming an elite Fire Nation squad upon their coming of age. Except, Adora had turned 18 two months ago, and she was yet to leave the base.   
“If you ask me, Shadow Weaver’s worried about what Fire Lord Hordak is gonna say when he finds out she trained a water bender.”  
Adora sat up straight, “The Fire Lord will see that my bending presents a unique advantage. Shadow Weaver said it herself!” There was a twinge of worry in her voice.  
Catra cackled, “Chill out, Adora. I was just pulling your leg. Shadow Weaver’s an airbender, and the Fire Lord doesn’t seem to have a problem with that.”   
“Exactly,” Adora huffed, but there was no denying her anxiety around the issue. It was one thing for Shadow Weaver to be an airbender, but water was the element at opposition with fire. She was bound to face scrutiny for her water bending, and would probably have her loyalty to the Fire Nation questioned before she could join the military.   
Sometimes, she’d stay up at night, staring into the torch that lit her bed chamber, willing it to move. On several occasions, she could have sworn it obeyed, but she didn’t dare mention it to anyone, not even Catra. She was a water bender, after all, there was no way she’d be able to fire bend.   
Right?  
The girls were interrupted when Kyle came careening into the courtyard, sweat dripping from his face. “Uh, guys, Shadow Weaver wants to see you. She says it’s important.” His voice cracked terribly. The poor late-bloomer was still going through puberty.   
The girls exchanged a weary glance. Usually, it wasn’t anything good when Shadow Weaver wanted to see them. They were likely going to have to scrub the floors of her chamber or be suspended in the air for the rest of the night for being caught sneaking extra food or making out in the hallways.   
When they arrived in Shadow Weaver’s office, she was sitting placidly in her chair, a wry smile on her face.   
“Adora, Catra,” they saluted her, as was the proper way to greet their commanding officer, “You may sit.”  
They each sat gingerly in the stiff metal chairs across from Shadow Weaver’s plush leather one. She tapped her long fingers on her desk, staring at them intently. Catra felt herself withering at the gaze in a way that no other person had accomplished with her to date, shrinking in a way. Adora, in contrast, fidgeted uncomfortably, plucking at her uniform to fix any imperfections.   
“I have called you both in here today to discuss your missions for the foreseeable future,” Shadow Weaver announced.   
Adora felt her gut writhe with excitement. A mission meant getting out to see the world! And if Catra was called in for the same meeting, surely that meant they would be sent together! It was everything she’d been dreaming of since they first began to learn about the glory of the Fire Nation and it’s expeditions.   
“Adora, you have recently reached the age of adulthood, and Catra, you are soon to do the same. It is time for you to prove your usefulness to the Fire Lord and bring honor to your country,” she passed each of them a scroll. “I spoke to the Fire Lord of my highest achieving pupils and he responded with a command to put you to action. Adora, you are tasked to travel the continents in search of the new Avatar, with Catra joining under your command.”  
They had heard stories of the Avatar - a bender who could take control of all four elements, reincarnating endlessly through time as a constant presence in the universe. The previous Avatar had opposed the Fire Nation, and paid the ultimate price for their refusal to submit. Evidently, the Fire Nation wished to extinguish the new Avatar before they could present as a viable problem.   
“You will capture the Avatar and present them to Fire Lord Hordak. Do not speak to anyone else of this. I expect the two of you to be packed by morning. Dismissed.”  
They stood to leave in sync, excitement brimming in their eyes. However, Shadow Weaver spoke again, halting their steps. “Catra, stay. I need a word with you.”   
Adora’s blue eyes bore in her worriedly, but Catra shook her head minisculely, telling the other girl to go. She was well accustomed to Shadow Weaver’s scrutiny, and was perfectly capable of handling it alone. Probably, she’d be chastised in advance for any potential of her screwing up Adora’s mission.   
“Catra,” Shadow Weaver drawled, “You understand that I do not find you fit for service yet. You may be the second most efficient of your peers, but you are yet to learn the virtues of obedience. However, I have my reasons for sending you on this mission,” the air bender stood and glided over to the brunette, “There is no one who cares for Adora quite as much as you do. You are to stop at nothing, nothing to protect her. You are replaceable. Adora, however, is not.” Sharp nails gripped Catra’s skin as Shadow Weaver held her cheek.   
“Yes, General.”  
Catra thought it was obvious that she’d sooner get killed than let Adora die. She didn’t understand why Shadow Weaver found it necessary to reaffirm that fact.   
“It is vital that you heed my warning. You will discover things on your journey that will put her at risk. No matter the cost, no matter the threat, you will defend her.”   
Catra just nodded. What could be out there that had Shadow Weaver so worried? They were perfectly fit for survival. They had received one of the best educations the Fire Nation could offer. Besides, it made no sense why Shadow Weaver was so protective of Adora in particular. Sure, it was incredibly rare to have a water bender in arms with the Fire Nation, but that didn’t mean she was irreplaceable. The entire situation was mind-boggling, and was frankly giving Catra a headache. She left Shadow Weaver’s quarters with a million questions floating through her head, which momentarily dispersed when she ran straight into Adora in the hallway.  
“Catra, isn’t this amazing! We’re finally gonna - hey, are you okay? What’d she say to you?” Adora’s tone changed halfway through her speech when she noticed the grim look on Catra’s face.   
Catra corralled her emotions, forcing herself to chin-up, “Nothing, just the usual about not being allowed to screw things up. You know how she is.” She bumped her shoulder into Adora’s playfully to reassure her.   
Adora grinned, “We have so much planning to do. Race you to the barracks!”   
She took off, hardly able to contain her excitement. Catra gave her a few seconds head start before racing after her, knowing that she was faster than Adora. She ended up at the entrance to their shared chamber a couple seconds before Adora. Catra leaned against the wall casually, wanting to rub her victory in her companion’s face. Adora wasted no time, however, in caging her against the wall when she arrived, out of breath but smiling widely.   
“Since we’re leaving tomorrow, you know what Shadow Weaver can’t punish me for doing?” She asked.   
“What?”  
“This,” Adora planted a kiss on Catra’s cheek, “and this,” the opposite cheek, “and not even this!” Finally, she pressed their lips together, Catra responding instantly.   
Catra rested her forehead against Adora’s. “This is going to be great.”   
****  
Adora woke in the morning to see Catra already out of bed, working on tying her hair back in an intricate braid. It was something the girl hardly did, seeing as she had a general apathy towards self-care. Adora usually found herself brushing her friend’s hair out for her, after several days of neglect. She was surprised to see Catra taking this mission seriously as she worked her hair into a protective style. Catra knew they wouldn’t have time to take care of her hair over the next couple days, and she was actually doing something about it. To an outsider, this wouldn’t be a big deal, but Catra wasn’t usually one for proactivity.   
“You’re up early,” Adora yawned, snuggling deeper into her covers.   
Catra didn’t reply, given the mouth full of hair she had. Adora crawled her way out of bed, walking over to hold back a strand of the brunette’s hair for her. As she drew nearer, she noticed the deep circles under Catra’s eyes. “Did you sleep at all last night?”  
She shrugged, “Had a lot of planning to do. I snuck into Shadow Weaver’s private library and borrowed her files on the Avatar while she was sleeping. We’ll read them once we set up camp tonight.”   
Adora was amazed. Catra definitely wasn’t one for leadership. She was usually much more than willing to let Adora take the lead while she was busy playing pranks on Kyle and Lonnie. The fact that she’d stayed up preparing for their journey sent Adora reeling. She’d figured she could start planning as they headed off the base.   
“Set up camp? I thought we could spend a night in the capitol, read some records at the library, before we set off.”  
“Adora, you’re a water bender,” Catra stressed as though her meaning was obvious. The incredulous look on Adora’s face led her to continue, “We know that you’re loyal to the Fire Nation, but most other people won’t assume the same. We’ll save a lot of trouble if we stay out of the capitol for now.”   
“I mean, I wasn’t planning on bending anything, but whatever,” Adora surrendered the fight, knowing that an argument would only stall their departure.   
Catra worked a fresh red shirt over her head as Adora changed into new pants. “You dream of me?” She smirked at the bent-over girl.   
“You wish!” Adora buttoned her pants deftly. “Actually, I dreamt of Ba Sing Se. You know, there’s a song about Ba Sing Se that says the girls in the city, the look so pretty. Maybe we should head there first.”   
She yelped as Catra flicked the back of her neck while her back was turned to pull a bra on. Continuing to mess around with each other, they got ready, heading out of their chambers with luggage in hand. Adora paused at the door, looking back at the room. All her eagerness to leave came crashing down as she realized how final this felt.  
“Ten years, we’ve shared this room.” She attempted to burn into her memory the look of it. There were two twin-sized beds that the girls had shoved as close together as possible without getting in trouble. A single dresser containing the possessions they were allowed to hold onto. A mirror Catra had stolen from a Lieutenant’s room four years ago and propped against the dresser. A drawing etched into the concrete wall of the two girls from when they first moved in. It was where many of the best memories of their lives to date had taken place. They’d stayed up late gossiping about the other base occupants here, gotten tipsy on cactus juice they stole from a visiting foreign ambassador, and just held hands across their beds as they slept. It was their sanctuary for a decade. How was she to let it go this easily?  
Catra placed her hand on Adora’s broad shoulder, “We’ll be back, eventually. I’ve yet to oversee it that Kyle and Rogelio hook up, so our work is not done here.”   
Adora nodded, blinking tears out of her eyes. They’d had enough time to be kids in that room. It was time that they went out into the world as adults, and when they returned, they could make new memories.  
Sliding her hand down Adora’s muscled arm, Catra took hold of the blonde’s hand and began tugging her to the dining hall. When they arrived, the rest of their squad was already seated at their usual table, chatting as if it was a perfectly routine day.   
“Good morning,” Kyle greeted, while Lonnie and Rogelio were busy arm-wrestling. “What’d Shadow Weaver need you for last night?” He prodded, obviously expecting the usual gossip about the girls’ antics.   
“We’ve been assigned a mission by the Fire Lord. We leave today,” Adora answered concisely, swiftly claiming her seat before anyone could put a pad of butter or some other unnerving substance in it as a prank  
“A mission? Are you being serious?” squeaked Lonnie.   
Catra smirked, pressing herself in closely to Adora on the bench seat, “That’s what happens when you’re the best of the base. Try to keep up.”   
Adora elbowed Catra, “You guys’ll be assigned something soon, I’m sure of it.” She shoved a piece of bread into her mouth to avoid speaking more.   
“Yeah, right. We’re a team - why would Shadow Weaver send you guys out and make us stay behind?”  
Shrugging, Adora washed her mouth out with a swig of water, bending what was left in the cup in nervous circles afterwards. “I guess stealth was important, so smaller numbers work to our advantage.”  
Kyle tilted his head curiously, “What are you guys gonna be doing, anyways?”  
“Uhhhh -”  
“Not that we’re supposed to tell you about this,” Catra swept in, with Adora shooting her sharp glances to speak carefully, “We’re being sent to infiltrate Ba Sing Se.”   
All three of their squad members’ mouths dropped at the lie.   
“Ba Sing Se?! But, no Fire Nation soldiers have made it through its walls!” Lonnie protested.   
Catra rolls her eyes. “Well, we’re not going as soldiers, are we? We’re going in as refugees, and we’ll be compiling a report on the city’s political state for the Fire Lord.” She flicks at the grapes in front of her irritatedly.   
Adora nods to corroborate Catra’s story, wondering how the other girl got so good at lying. She could barely lie about what she ate for dinner without getting tripped up. It was an impressive and concerning skill of Catra’s.   
“You guys can’t tell anyone about this, though,” Adora fills in, “Shadow Weaver would have our heads if she thought we were breaking our cover.”   
“Catra. Adora.” A voice came from behind them.   
They hurried to stand, saluting as Lieutenant Scorpia addressed them.   
“Oh, I’m gonna miss you so much!” The tall woman gathered them into a group hug.   
Scorpia was about ten years their senior, and had been tasked with babysitting their unit when she was a young teen. She’d developed a particular fondness for Catra, and eventually Adora, given the two girls’ constant proximity to one another.   
“Man, it’s so weird to see you two all grown up. I just, I always wanted little sisters, and,” she wiped tears from her face with large, rough hands, “I feel like I found them in you guys.”   
Lonnie grunted from the table, “Thanks, Scorpia, I feel so loved.”   
Catra and Adora exchanged sheepish glances. The buff Lieutenant was nice and all, but she had a tendency to be overbearing. Catra had often avoided Scorpia’s offers to teach her how to ride a bike, help her spar, and other miscellaneous big sibling-esque activities in favor of quality alone time. Despite this, she’d come to appreciate their short-haired friend. Not many people looked after each other on the Fire Nation base, so it was a welcome exception to have a higher-ranking officer care for them.   
“You’d tell me if Shadow Weaver was sending you on, like, a suicide mission, right? Because I’d totally intervene on your behalf. I could get you transferred to capital defense if you want.”   
Adora shook her head gratefully, “No, Scorpia, we’re actually pretty excited for our mission. It’s a good opportunity to see the world and bring glory to the Fire Nation.”   
She pulled them into individual hugs now, “Make sure you packed enough weapons. Oh, and preserved food. Oh! And don’t forget water purifiers - although, Adora, I guess you’ll figure that out. Just be careful!”   
Brushing off her concerns, Catra and Adora bid their farewells to Scorpia. Before they knew it, breakfast was over, and they were trekking to the massive gate surrounding the base they’d grown up on. Only one time had they attempted to sneak through the gate, when they were eleven. Catra had ended up with a broken ankle, and Adora with two badly sprained wrists. Shadow Weaver had given them quite the punishment for that, before warning them of the dangers of leaving the base unprepared. Apparently, it was a pretty rough world out there - at least, where the Fire Nation hadn’t civilized it yet. According to Shadow Weaver, there were whole clans of people who lived in filth and slaughtered any innocent Fire Nation citizen to wander their way.   
“Do you think people are gonna know that we’re Fire Nation?” Adora asked, looking down at her distinctly red attire.   
“I’d say so,” Catra affirmed, “And I’m glad of it. Maybe word of our successes will reach Fire Lord Hordak when we get to kicking ass out there.”   
Adora snorted, “He’ll hear of our success when we bring him the Avatar. Now that will be the way to kickstart our careers.”   
They reached the gate, where Shadow Weaver hovered, looming and eerie as always. She held something in her hand - a folded piece of paper.   
“Children,” She greeted, although their pending departure was a definite sign that they were not children anymore.   
“Shadow Weaver,” Adora greeted grimly. Catra simply nodded.   
“I expect you to complete your task in a timely manner. Any suggestion of dilly-dallying or insubordination, and I will collect you myself and reassign the capture of the Avatar to a more qualified soldier,” she spoke with her usual seriousness, but there was an element of deception in her tone. Catra and Adora had been around the woman long enough to know when she was playing mind games; they knew when something was off. “I part from you with one last command: do not embarrass me.”   
Long nails scraping her palm, Adora accepted the paper Shadow Weaver dropped into her hand. She unfolded it to find only a name marked it’s surface, that of someone called “Madame Razz.” They turned to ask their commanding officer what the name meant, but she had already swept out of sight.   
“Weird,” Catra muttered, “What do you think it means?” She snatched the paper from her friend.   
“Obviously, she wants us to find this woman. Your guess is as good as mine as to why.”   
With that, they walked through the gates, having no clue what they would find on the other side. 

They’d been walking west since noon, and Adora’s feet ached miserably. There hadn’t been anywhere good to stop for lunch, so instead they’d chewed on dried fruit as they traveled. Thankfully, the sun was beginning to set, relieving some of the heat of the day that had sunken into their skin. However, the sun setting meant nighttime was coming, and a whole new slew of threats along with it.   
“We should set up camp here,” Adora gestured when she saw a dense cluster of trees that provided some cover if someone were to come across them.   
“Alright,” Catra assented, “But you’re taking the first watch.”   
In about half an hour, they’d managed to set up the Fire Nation tent they’d been issued, along with their sleeping bags and a fire, courtesy of Catra. Too exhausted to bother reading the materials they’d collected from Shadow Weaver, they relaxed at the fireside. Adora sat with her back propped against a tree while Catra lay in her sleeping bag beside her, curling her body in towards Adora.   
“First city we reach, we’re getting a dragon moose or camelephant or something. Why Shadow Weaver didn’t give us a form of transportation beats me,” Adora declared, smoothing down the loose hairs on top of Catra’s head.   
“She was acting weird this morning. Well,” Catra faltered, “weirder than usual. Maybe she didn’t want us to get far.”  
“Why wouldn’t she?”  
Catra thought back to Shadow Weaver’s warning, the ferocity with which she’d demanded Catra look after Adora. Something out here was a threat to the water bender, one that the woman assumed they might not be able to handle, despite their years of combat and strategic training. She couldn’t tell Adora about all that, though, not with her being so eager to begin their new adventure.   
Catra shoved her hands under Adora’s blanket, searching out the blonde’s ticklish spot on her inner knees. “Probably testing us. You know that old hag, she doesn’t think anything should ever be easy for us.”   
“We’re gonna do this, Catra,” Adora suddenly grew serious. “We can’t fail the Fire Lord. Plus, once we bring in the Avatar, we’ll never have to take shit from Shadow Weaver again. We’re adults now, she’s losing her control over us, and it probably freaks her out,” she sighed, attempting to assuage the inexplicable dread in her stomach with images of her and Catra living a freed life, fighting alongside one another.   
Blue eyes turned to Catra for reassurance, but the brunette had already nodded off. Adora ran the pad of her thumb gently across Catra’s brow bone, admiring the way the fire she lit sent dancing shadows across tan skin. Catra had a wild sort of beauty about her. She was naturally dark, yet her face was still dotted in freckles from the sun. There were a couple of stray blemishes on her cheeks, remnants of puberty as she made the final transitions into adulthood. Her hair was only styled about ten percent of the time, otherwise taking on a life of its own with its animated texture and volume. She didn’t often bother grooming her eyebrows, leaving them to grow recklessly around their main arch and sparsely between her eyes, despite the Fire Nation standard of plucking them thin. Catra was her own standard of beauty, and Adora delighted in every minute detail of the slim girl’s face.   
Sitting there, staring entranced at the dramatic curve of her best friend’s lips, Adora felt her eyelids growing heavy. She’d close them for a minute, she decided, just to refresh herself. Then she’d keep a careful eye on their camp.   
Just a few more seconds of rest…   
When Adora awoke, it was to an annoying drip of water hitting her in the face. She wiped it off with the back of her hand sleepily, assuming it was some rainwater caught in the tree she leaned against. But when she pulled her hand back, it became clear that whatever was dripping on her was not just water. It was thick, and putrid smelling. Adora cracked an eye open to take in her surroundings. It was sometime in the middle of the night, and the fire Catra had started was fizzling down to embers by now. She must’ve been asleep for a couple hours, the uncomfortable position of slumping against a tree trunk putting a kink in her back. Squinting to see in the dim lighting, Adora sighed in relief that there appeared to be no one around them. The liquid substance must’ve been tree sap or something equally innocuous.  
Adora began to stand, ready to stretch and actually keep watch this time around. However, when she extended her legs from the ground, her head bumped into a hard, fuzzy mass above her. Every muscle in Adora’s body tensed as she slowly swiveled around, a shriek caught in her throat.   
Hovering over Adora was a massive, drooling tigerdillo. No sooner had she locked eyes with it than it lunged, knocking her to the ground by her shoulders. Adora thrusted her lower half upwards, kicking at the tigerdillo’s jugular and rolling backwards to escape its clutch before it could sink its teeth into her throat. She pulled her double-edged sword from her sack where it lay on the ground, brandishing it at the beast.   
Adora had never killed anything before.   
She hesitated just long enough for the tigerdillo to back her into a tree, without room to swing her sword, but enough to prevent the animal from coming any closer. Adora was running through a list of options in her mind when she heard a battlecry from behind the tigerdillo, and Catra appeared, jumping onto the beast’s back and grabbing it by the ears. Catra had thought to grab a rope from her own bag, and used her momentary advantage to wrap it around the tigerdillo’s jaw, effectively tying its mouth shut.   
“Now, Adora!” Catra cried, jumping off the animals back to seek cover behind her friend’s back.  
Adora raised her blade. She focused her gaze on the base of the beast’s neck. She prepared herself to swing. “I can’t!” Her hands grew weak, dropping the blade to the floor.   
“What do you mean you can’t?!” Catra shouted, her hands digging anxiously into Adora’s shoulders, “It’s gonna eat us!”   
“I can’t kill it, Catra. I just can’t. We need to run while it’s distracted.”   
The beast had forgotten them, pawing at its mouth frantically to dislodge the rope. It hadn’t made much progress yet, but every one in a while, its claw would catch on the rope, cutting it slightly. In a matter of minutes, the tigerdillo would be free. Catra groaned in frustration, but didn’t argue - after all, she could’ve killed the thing as well, if she’d felt up to it. But looking in the animal’s eyes, she couldn’t imagine sending it to a fiery death. All those years in the Fire Nation, they’d been raised to understand that no life mattered as much as a Fire Nation citizen’s life did, and that they would have to sacrifice life in the military for the sake of the Nation. Catra hadn’t questioned this wisdom before, but now she wasn’t so sure about it. If she had the option to get away without shedding blood, shouldn’t she?  
But now was not the time for philosophical pondering. She started shoving everything she could reach back into her bag in a random order, while Adora worked on dismantling their tent. They had just managed to get everything packed up when a low, vicious growl came from the darkness of the tree before them.   
Apparently, tigerdillos traveled in packs. And apparently, they weren’t exactly happy when you muzzled one of their own.   
“Shit,” Catra swore under her breath. She and Adora didn’t even need to communicate before taking off at sprints, the obvious need to escape overcoming them. Except, they never stood a chance at outrunning a group of huge, four-legged beasts. Quickly, a claw caught Catra through her braid, and she was dragged back towards the pack painfully by her hair. The initial tigerdillo had freed itself as well, it seemed, recognizable by the loose rope hanging around its neck. It had grabbed Adora by the handles of her backpack, which she struggled to remove, resuming her race into the darkness when she got free.  
Adora turned around when she realized Catra wasn’t behind her, seeing her in the clutches of a scarred, grizzly-looking tigerdillo. Catra smiled meekly at Adora, then lit a fire in the palm of her hand, holding it directly under the tigerdillo’s nose. The beast panicked immediately, rearing back and releasing Catra. However, in her distraction watching Catra, Adora hadn’t noticed the tigerdillo sneaking up behind her. It opened its menacing jaws to welcome her in, a wave of heat crashing against Adora’s back.   
“Adora!”   
Adora felt her body expand beyond the furthest reaches of the universe, then shrink down smaller than an atom. Her mind became the image of two mirrors facing each other, with Adora trapped in between, repeating and repeating and repeating an infinite number of times. Except that it wasn’t necessarily Adora in each of the mirror’s reflections. Wearing different faces, holding different stories, but sharing the same soul, Adora’s past lives stared back at her. She felt her body moving, although she had no control over it.   
Her arms made a series of sharp motions, and she and Catra rose on a pillar of earth. A ring of fire danced around the edge of it, preventing the tigerdillos from coming any closer. Had Adora done that? She couldn’t recall. Then, her arms flew out of their own accord, and wind rushed from them, pushing the tigerdillos deeper and deeper back into the trees.   
Adora snapped back into her body, not quite having realized she’d been outside of it in the first place. She sunk to the ground with a groan, grinding her palms into her eyes as if that would make sense of what had just happened. Her blue eyes eventually reopened, landing on Catra, who stood only a few feet to her right, but looked so, so far away. She locked eyes with the girl. Catra had always had such gorgeous, confusing eyes. One was blue, the other was green, and neither were the right color for a fire bender. It was easy to get lost in them. Adora thought that she might just stare at those eyes all day, willfully ignoring the conundrum they were now caught in.   
“Adora,” Catra breathed, “You’re the Avatar.”

**Author's Note:**

> Got bored one day and wrote this to fix that! Might just leave it at this, but if I'm inspired I might make it into a longer fic. Hope you enjoyed reading! Thanks a bunch


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